Microscopic slide rimmer



March 6, 1962 L. L. HARROP mcaoscopxc SLIDE RIMMER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 5, 1959 Z .1 .HA RIPOP INVENTOR ATTORNEYS L. L. HARROP MICROSCOPIC SLIDE RIMMER March 6, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 5, 1959 L .L HA REG 2 p u v 2 I a v run. 3

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS March 6, 1962 1.. HARROP MICROSCOPIC SLIDE RIMMER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 5, 1959 LLHA/P/POP INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 6, 1962 3,023,730 MICROSCOPIC SLIDE RllVIMER Leon L. Harrop, 322 E. Monroe Ave., Harlingen, Tex. Filed Nov. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 851,046 13 Claims. (Cl. 118-410) This invention relates to a microscopic slide rimmer. In general it relates to a device for forming rims or borders surrounding areas on microscopic slides, in which areas the mass of material to be examined under a microscope is placed.

The object of the invention is to provide a device for forming a rim or border of petrolaturn, Vaseline, or other substances which are neutral in chemical reaction to living matter, around an area on a microscopic slide, within which vegetable or inorganic material is placed for observation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for forming a rim or border of a substance neutral in chemical reaction to living matter in various shapes, circular, square, hexagonal, octagonal or other shapes of various sizes, around an area on a microscopic slide, within which vegetable or other inorganic material is placed for observation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for the formation of a pluralityof rims or borders of a substance neutral in chemical reaction to living matter, surrounding areas in which vegetable or other inorganic material is placed for observation, seriatim in rapid succession on a microscopic slide, or slides.

Still other objects, advantages and improvements will become apparnet from the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevational view of the microscopic slide rimmer according to the present invention, with certain parts shown in section.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the microscopic slide rimmer.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the section line 33 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3A is a detail sectional view showing the inner and outer rimmer cylinders in lowered position.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the inner pump and outer guide cylinders.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the section line 55 of FIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the pressure applicator.

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the section line 33 of FIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the inner and outer rimmer cylinders.

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 2 and through the parting line between the lower and upper frame members and looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the microscopic slide and the rim or border impression therein.

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view through the inner and outer rimmer cylinders in a modified form of the latter.

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view through the inner and outer rimmer cylinders in a further modified form of the latter.

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view through the inner and outer rimmer cylinders in the modification according to FIG. 3, showing the mounting of former the latter.

FIG. 11 is a partial vertical sectional view through the upper ends of the inner and outer rimmer cylinders, showing a modified form of the mounting of the former within the latter.

FIG. 12 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the section line 1212 of FIG. 11 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and to FIG. 1 in particular, the microscopic slide rimmer according to the present invention is mounted on a base member 10 and an upper frame member 16. The base member 10 has a forward extension 11, the purpose of which will appear hereinafter. On the under side of base member 10 there are mounted feet 12 of medium soft rubber, which latter are secured to the base member by screws 13. The upper frame member 16 is mounted on the base member 10, the latter being secured to the former by suitable screws 14, preferably countersunk in bores 15 in the base member.

The microscopic slide rimmer according to the present invention is comprised by two principal components, the pump and the dual concentric rimmer assembly. The pump is encased by a guide cylinder 17, which is secured to the upper frame member 16 by screws 18--18, and has a bore '19 and an upper counter-bore 21 therethrough, forming at their juncture an internal shoulder 20.

A pump cylinder 22 is mounted for vertical reciprocating movement within the guide cylinder 17. At its upper end the pump cylinder 22 is closed by a cap 24, which has a downwardly depending skirt 23, the latter being interiorly screw threaded to engage complementary screw threads on the upper end of the pump cylinder 22 and having a centrally positioned boss 25, which is also internally screw threaded. Within the counterbore 21 in the guide cylinder 17 there is positioned a coil compression spring 26, which at its bottom rests on the internal shoulder 20 between the bore 19 and the counterbore 21 and at its top abuts the skirt 23 on the cap 24.

A plunger 27 is threaded throughout its entire length, preferably with forty (40) threads to the inch, and is mounted in the boss 25 on the cap 24. At its upper end the plunger 27 carries a knob or thumb pressure rest 28 and at its bottom a pair of metal discs 29 and 31. The disc 29 is mounted on the threaded plunger 27 and the disc 31 is held thereon by a screw 32, which is positioned in an axially extending screw threaded hole in the plunger. A disc 36- of leather is secured between the metal discs 29 and 31, which with the disc 30, comprises a piston.

Within the pump cylinder 22 there is placed a mass 33 of petrolatum, Vaseline, or some other substance which is neutral in chemical reaction to living matter. At its bottom the pump cylinder is closed by a disc 35, which has a shoulder 34 thereon, the latter being suitably screw threaded for mounting within the end of the pump cylinder.

The rimmer unit is secured to the pump cylinder 22 by a close nipple 36 and a suitable nut 38, preferably a hexagonal nut. The assembly of the rimmer unit with the pump, and the disassembly therefrom, is facilitated by the nut 38. The nipple 36 is threaded throughout its entire length and has a bore 37 therethrough. At its upper end the nipple is received in a suitable screw threaded hole in the disc 35 and at its lower end in a suitable screw threaded hole in the top of the outer rimmer cylinder 40. The nut 38 surrounds the nipple 36 and between same and the top of the outer rimmer cylinder 40 there is placed the pressure applicator 39. The latter is secured to the top of the outer rimmer cylinder in any suitable manner, as by spot Welding (not shown).

The inner rimmer cylinder 41 is of lesser diameter and considerably of lesser height than the outer rimmer cylinder 40. As shown in FIGS. 3, 3-A and 10, the inner and outer rimmer cylinders are mounted with their lower ends flush. In this form of the rimmer unit the inner rimmer cylinder 41 is positioned within the outer rimmer cylinder 40, the spacing between the walls of same is carefully fixed by shims (not shown) and screws 42 are run through suitably spaced screw threaded holes in the outer rimmer cylinder 40 and against the walls of the inner rimmer cylinder 41. The shims are then removed and the screw heads are ground off flush with the wall of the outer rimmer cylinder.

In FIG. 8 the inner and outer rimmer members 43 and .4, respectively, are shown as square in cross section. Here small angle rods 45 are placed inside the outer rimmer member 44, at the corners and adjacent the top. The two rimmer members are then silver welded together through the angle rods.

In FIG. 9 the inner and outer rimmer members 47 and 48, respectively, are shown as hexagonal in cross section. Here the inner and outer rimmer members are held in fixed spaced relation by vertically positioned welds 49. The inner and outer rimmer members are first fixed in spaced relationship by shims (not shown). Each shim has a notch therein in which a bead of a welding rod is placed. The welds are then made and the shims are removed. As shown there are welds 49 at the mid points of two sides and at two apices of the inner and outer rimmer members. These welds could, however, be positioned in various other arrangements.

In FIG. 11, the outer and inner rimmer cylinders 40 and 41, respectively, may be united by a short piece of tubing 50, having arcuately spaced holes 51 therein. The piece of tubing 50 is silver welded at its bottom to the top of the inner cylinder 41 and at its top to the under side of the top of the outer cylinder 40.

In use the pump cylinder 22 is at least partially filled at 33 with a mass of petrolatum, Vaseline, or other substance, which is neutral in chemical reaction to living matter. This material will flow downwardly through the bore 37 in the nipple 36 and fill the spaces between the tops of the outer and inner cylinders 40 and 41, respectively, and between the side walls of the latter. This action may, however, be expedited by placing a suitable piece of material, such as card board, on the forward extension 11 of the base 10 bringing the outer and inner rimmer cylinders into contact with same by pushing downwardly on the thumb rest 28, and then rotating the latter.

A microscopic slide 52 is then placed on the forward extension 11 of the base 10 and the ends of the outer and inner cylinders 40 and 41, respectively, brought into contact with same. The impression may be made as shown at 53 in FIG. 7, by partial rotation of the thumb rod 28. It has been found that with the plunger 27 having forty (40) threads to the inch, rotation of the thumb rest 28 through one-twelfth of a circle, that is thirty (30) degrees, will deposit the right amount of substance as a rim, on the microscopic slide 52. Alternatively, the rim impression at 53 with the outer and inner rimmer cylinders 40 and 41, respectively, in contact with the microscopic slide 52, may be made by partial rotation of the applicator arm 39, only a slight rotation of this arm being necessary to deposit the right amount of material on the slide. The spring 28 will return the pump cylinder 22 to its normal raised position, upon release of the thumb rest 23.

The material to be viewed through the microscope is placed within the rim 53 and covered with a small glass cover-slip, which keeps the material from evaporating or being moved due to air currents.

I claim:

1. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a pump cylinder, a piston within said cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, an outer rimmer member, an inner rimmer member within the outer rimmer member and having its walls spaced at a predetermined distance from the latter,

4 and a connection between the pump cylinder and the rimmer members.

2. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a guide cylinder, a pump cylinder reciprocably mounted within the guide cylinder, a spring between said cylinders, a piston within said pump cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, an outer rimmer member, an inner rimmer member within the outer rimmer member and having its walls spaced at a predetermined distance from the latter, and a connection between the pump cylinder and the rimmer members.

3. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a pump cylinder, an internally screw threaded cap on said pump cylinder, a piston within said cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, a screw threaded rod connected to said piston and mounted in said screw threaded cap, a thumb rest on the outer end of said rod, an outer rimmer member, an inner rimmer member within said outer rimmer member and having its walls spaced at a predetermined distance from the latter, and a connection between said pump cylinder and said rimmer members.

4. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a pump cylinder, a piston Within said cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, an inner rimmer cylinder, an outer rimmer cylinder surrounding said inner rimmer cylinder and having its top spaced apart from the top of the latter and its wall spaced apart from the wall of the latter, and a connection between the pump cylinder and the rimmer cylinders.

5. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a pump cylinder having a closed bottom, a piston within said cylinder for ejecting material from same, an inner rimmer cylinder, an outer rimmer cylinder surrounding said inner rimmer cylinder and having its top spaced apart from the top of the latter and its wall spaced apart from the wall of the latter, and a nipple secured in the bottom of the pump cylinder and the top of the outer rimmer cylinder.

6. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a pump cylinder having a closed bottom, a piston within said cylinder for ejecting material from same, an inner rimmer cylinder, an outer rimmer cylinder surrounding said inner rimmer cylinder and having its top spaced apart from the top of the latter and its wall spaced apart from the wall of the latter, a nipple secured in the bottom of the pump cylinder and the top of the inner cylinder, and a nut surrounding said nipple.

7. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a pump cylinder having a closed bottom, a piston within said cylinder for ejecting material from same, an inner rimmer cylinder, an outer rimmer cylinder surrounding said inner rimmer cylinder and having its top spaced apart from the top of the latter and its wall spaced apart from the wall of the latter, a nipple secured in the bottom of the pump cylinder and the top of the outer cylinder, and an applicator arm secured to said outer rimmer cylinder and surrounding the nipple.

8. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a pump cylinder, a piston within said cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, an inner rimmer member of square cross section, an outer rimmer member of square cross section surrounding said inner rimmer member and having its top spaced apart from the top of the latter and its Walls spaced apart from the walls of the latter, and a connection between the pump cylinder and the rimmer members.

9. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a pump cylinder, a piston within said cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, an inner rimmer member of hexagonal cross section, an outer rimmer member of hexagonal cross section surrounding said inner member and having its top spaced apart from the top of the latter and its walls spaced apart from the walls of the latter, and a connection between the pump cylinder and the rimmer members.

10. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a frame, a guide cylinder mounted on said frame in vertical position, a pump cylinder slidably mounted within said guide cylinder, a spring between said guide and pump cylinders for biasing the pump cylinder upwardly, an internally screw threaded cap on said pump cylinder, a piston within said pump cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, a screw threaded rod connected to said piston and mounted in said screw threaded cap, a thumb rest on the outer end of said rod for rotating same to eject material from the pump cylinder and for depressing the pump cylinder, an outer rimmer member, an inner rimmer member within said outer rimmer member and having its walls at a predetermined distance from the latter, and a connection between said pump cylinder and said rimmer members.

11. A microscopic slide member comprising a frame having a fiat horizontal surface and a vertical Wall at right angles to the latter, a guide cylinder mounted on the vertical wall of said frame, a pump cylinder slidably mounted within said guide cylinder, a spring between said guide and pump cylinders for biasing the pump cylinder upwardly, a cap on said pump cylinder having an axial hole therein, a piston within said pump cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, a rod connected to said piston and extending through the axial hole in said cap, an outer rimmer member overlying the horizontal surface of said frame, an inner rimmer member within said outer rimmer member and having its walls at a predetermined distance from the latter, and a connection between said pump cylinder and said rimmer members.

12. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a frame, a guide cylinder mounted on said frame in vertical position, a pump cylinder slidably mounted within said guide cylinder and having a closed bottom with an axially positioned threaded hole therein, a spring engaging the pump cylinder for biasing the latter upwardly, a piston within said pump cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, an outer rimmer cylinder positioned below the guide and pump cylinders and closed at its top and having an axially positioned screw threaded hole in the latter, a screw threaded connection engaged in the axially positioned threaded hole in the bottom of the pump cylinder and in the axially positioned screw threaded hole in the top of the outer rimmer cylinder, and an inner rimmer cylinder positioned within said outer rimmer cylinder closed at its top and having the latter spaced from the closed top of the outer rimmer cylinder and its side Wall spaced inwardly from the side wall of the outer rimmer cylinder.

13. A microscopic slide rimmer comprising a frame, a guide cylinder mounted on said frame in vertical position, a pump cylinder slidably mounted within said guide cylinder and having a closed bottom with an axially threaded hole therein, a spring engaging the pump cylinder for biasing the latter upwardly, a piston said pump cylinder for ejecting material therefrom, an outer rimmer cylinder positioned below the guide and pump cylinder and closed at its top and having an axially positioned screw threaded hole in the latter, a nipple engaged in the axially positioned threaded hole in the bottom of the pump cylinder and in the axially positioned screw threaded hole in the top of the outer rimmer cylinder, a nut surrounding the nipple and abutting the bottom of the pump cylinder, an applicator arm surrounding the nipple and positioned between the nut and the top of the outer rimmer cylinder and connected to the latter, and an inner rimmer cylinder positioned within said outer rimmer cylinder closed at its top and having the latter spaced from the closed top of the outer rimmer cylinder, and its side wall spaced inwardly from the side wall of the outer rimmer cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 573,432 Megson Dec. 15, 1896 1,004,768 Furber Oct. 3, 1911 2,726,165 Isler Dec. 6, 1955 

